


Percy Finds Out

by thefeelsonthebus



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, drew is a bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-15
Updated: 2014-06-15
Packaged: 2018-02-04 18:10:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1788340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefeelsonthebus/pseuds/thefeelsonthebus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy finds out about Nico's secret in the worst way possible, but reacts in the best way possible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Percy Finds Out

The seven were partying with the other demigods in New Rome, Roman and Greek alike. Gaia had been defeated, and Percy, Annabeth, Thalia and some of the others from Camp Half Blood had already said it was better than the Olympus party that happened the year before. Percy insisted that it was because all his friends were there.

All of the seven had survived. Frank was still being nursed back to health, and was still in the infirmary after being struck by a poisoned knife, and Leo was hobbling around on a crutch after breaking his leg, but everyone was okay. Everyone was happy. Percy was dancing – badly – with Annabeth, Hazel was eating a brownie outside the infirmary, watching over Frank, Rachel and Octavian were arguing for the fourth time so far, and Leo, despite his broken leg, was entertaining some of the Romans, led by Reyna, by setting all of Octavian’s teddy bears on fire while he wasn’t looking.

One demigod, however, wasn’t joining in the fun.

Nico di Angelo was stood in the corner of the pavilion, debating whether to shadow travel away or not, having not a lot of fun. Ever since the start of the party, everyone had forgotten him. Even Hazel had gone away to care for Frank. The only person who’d even looked at him all night was Jason.

“Hey!” Nico groaned. Piper was coming over. The last thing he needed was a daughter of Aphrodite who could spot who liked whom from a mile away. He didn’t want this day getting any worse by his secret about Percy getting discovered.  
“You gonna dance with someone?” She laughed. “Come on, get involved!” Jason is watching from afar, pity on his face. Why does everyone pity him?   
“I’m fine.” Nico spat.  
“No, join in! You helped with defeating Gaia as much as us!”  
“Leave me alone!” He shouted.  
Even Annabeth and Percy had come over to see what was going on. Piper shoved him towards Annabeth. “Dance with Annabeth! She’s finished dancing with Percy now.”  
“Pipes, let it go.” Why did Jason have to butt in?!

“Leave me alone, Piper.” Nico growled. Just then, he heard a voice from behind Jason.  
“Hey, Jason! This party’s amazing, isn’t it!” Drew Tanaka, Piper’s sibling from the Aphrodite cabin, had come over o Jason, and was now twirling her hair next to him. The piteous look on Jason’s face was gone, replaced with panic.   
“Help me.” He mouthed.  
Piper narrowed her eyes and went over to him. Nico followed, inwardly wondering why he was helping Jason.

“Get away from my boyfriend, Drew. The rules that I set before are no different in a new camp.”  
“Oh, honey, I don’t care anymore.”  
“Get away, daughter of Aphrodite.” They all span around. Reyna was approaching, wearing her praetor’s robe and looking ferocious. At first, Nico wasn’t sure which daughter of Aphrodite she was talking to. When she approached Drew, it was clear.

“Follow Piper’s orders. She saved Olympus, and the world, you didn’t. If you do not step away from Jason Grace, I will evict you from New Rome.” When Drew spluttered out a reply, Reyna held a finger to Drew’s mouth. “I have the power here.” Drew scowled, but turned away from Jason.

Piper stared at Reyna in shock. “Thanks.”   
Reyna smiled. “It’s nothing.”  
Then Piper turned back to Nico. He almost groaned. “Why didn’t you want to dance with Annabeth?”  
Nico shook his head. Jason put a hand on Piper’s shoulder. “Piper, leave him alone.”  
She gives a small gasp. “You... you have a crush...”  
“Piper.” Jason growled.  
Drew had turned around again, mildly interested. Hazel had walked up to see what the problem was. Leo had come over with Reyna. And – gods! – Percy and Annabeth were still nearby. Nico was ready to shadow travel away, when Piper grabbed his arm, and whispered something in his ear.

“Annabeth?”

Nico stared at her. “What?!” 

Drew looked at him curiously. Piper’s eyebrows were knitted together in a frown. “Well, if not Annabeth, then...” Piper gasped in recognition exactly one second after Drew laughs carelessly. “No, Nico doesn’t like Annabeth! Do you, Nico?”   
“Leave me alone.” He muttered, trying to push out of the crowd.   
“No, he doesn’t!” Drew had a satisfied smirk on her face. “Nico has a crush on Percy Jackson.”

Nico felt his ears going red. Looking down, he pushed out of the crowd, but he looked back at them again, and all the faces made him crack even more. Jason was wincing, Piper had pity written all over her face, and Leo had actually stepped, well, hobbled back, before realising what he’d done and hurriedly hopping forwards again. Nico normally wouldn’t have expected anything less of Leo, but after he became more withdrawn after he came back from the island or wherever, Nico had befriended him a little more. He thought Leo had changed.

He could barely look at Annabeth, but he registered the shock on her face before his eyes flitted to Hazel. Her face could only be described as scandalised. He knew that she grew up in a different time, where being gay wasn’t accepted, but her face still broke him. It was the last straw.

He fled. He didn’t even look at Percy.

He sat, crouched, under a fallen pillar at the edge of the city for a while. Hot angry tears came streaming down his face, and he couldn’t stop them, no matter how long he tried. Just when he thought he’d stopped crying, he heard footsteps. Then… she knew he was there. He knew she did. It was Drew’s voice. No.

“Nico likes guys! Nico’s a dirty boy. Nobody likes Nico!” Nico swallowed, furiously blinking back tears. He wanted to run, but his legs were lead. Were the things she was saying true? “He should go back to the underworld, where he belongs, only he should go there dead!” She was right, nobody did want him. He was alone. “Nico likes Percy, Nico is –“  
Suddenly, her voice stopped, and he heard a body hitting the ground. “I thought you were meant to be a Daughter of Aphrodite. They’re meant to be accepting of all love. Not like you.” Why was Annabeth sticking up for him? “You’re just a bitch.”

Nico wanted to run, but if he ran, Annabeth would see him. Then it got a whole lot worse. “He has to be around here somewhere.” The voice of the person he fell for sounded just to the right of him. He could see Percy and Annabeth’s feet from his hidden position from under the pillar. “She wouldn’t be saying those things if he wasn’t around. Nobody’s that sick.” Then his voice went softer. “Nico, come out. I won’t judge you.”   
A strangled sob escaped Nico’s mouth, and he immediately clapped his hands over his mouth, but it was done. He heard a hushed whisper from Annabeth, and watched her feet retreat, back to the party, no doubt to yell at the others. Then Percy crouched down beside him. 

“Nico?”  
“Go away.” He couldn’t even look at Percy.   
“Nico, please come out.”  
“You can’t make me.”  
“Nico – “  
“Go away!” Nico dissolved into sobs again, and he felt sickened with himself, but it was too much, and the fact that Percy was here, pretending he wasn’t sick about Nico liking him, it was the final straw.  
But Percy didn’t go. He sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. “You don’t have to come out. But I’m staying right here. Even if it rains."

Nico hastily tried to wipe tears away, but Percy saw them. He looked at Percy for the first time, and his green eyes weren’t filled with disgust, or hate, or even pity. They were filled with sorrow. “What Drew did was unforgivable. She has no reason to say those things. I’m sorry, Nico. I should have treated you better. I didn’t take care of Bianca, and I ignored you half the time, and I was an awful friend. I wouldn’t be alive today if you hadn’t been nice to Bob.”

“Why are you doing this?” Nico couldn’t tear his eyes off Percy, however red he felt himself going, and however sick he felt to his stomach.   
“Because you’re my friend, and I was awful to you.”

Nico crawled out from under the pillar, brushing the dirt off his pants. Now that he was sitting beside Percy, his eyes were focused on the ground.  
“I’m sorry.” Percy said softly, laying a gentle hand on Nico’s shoulder.  
Nico shook his head. “It’s fine. You’re fine. It’s just…”   
Percy gave him a half smile. Nico was surprised he could actually meet his eyes. “Drew was a bitch for doing what she did. I’m gonna get Reyna to get her a lifetime ban on Rome. Or even better, throw away all her makeup and replace it with frogspawn!”

Against his will, Nico laughed. Percy looked at him in surprise, and he dropped his gaze, but he still had a small smile on his face. “I could just imagine her –“  
“You know, Nico, I haven’t seen you smile for so long.” Percy put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “You should do it more often.”  
“Really?” Nico knew his gaze was overly hopeful, but he couldn’t shake it off his face.  
“Really.” Percy stood up, brushed off his jeans, and held out a hand to Nico to help him up. Nico took it, immediately releasing it when he got up and using it to rub the back of his neck anxiously. “You feeling better now?”  
“Yeah.” Nico said, not looking at Percy.  
“Look me in the eye and tell me you’re feeling better. That you want to go back to the party.”   
Nico looked at Percy. He felt his face going red, but he didn’t look away. “I want to go back to the party.”

“Great.” Percy said, then started walking. When Nico didn’t follow, he turned back for a second. “If anyone gives you a hard time, I’ll lock them in a house while Jason’s singing in the shower.” Nico stifled a laugh again, and Percy smiled. “Come on. Have you tried one of the brownies yet? They’re amazing.”  
Nico shook his head. “No.” He admitted. Then, a little daringly, he teased “Are they blue?”  
Percy stared at him, as if he had been replaced by a whole new person. “No, but what a good idea to ask for.”  
Nico smacked himself on the forehead with the palm of his hand. “I was joking.”  
Percy grinned. “Of course you were.”


End file.
